Diggery 2, a call for help
by Rose
Summary: Annabel meets some old friends....


CHAPTER 1 "It's mine! I saw it first! Gerrof!" five young rabbits raced at a large blackberry bush, tripping each other in their haste to grab the first blackberry of the season. They zoomed through a small pile of leaves, but Candy, the fastest, was streaking ahead. She was just about snatch the huge berry when she bowled over two other travellers, heading in the opposite direction. The four others piled into her, leaving the two creatures crushed at the bottom of the heap. 

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Candy gasped, throwing the rabbits off her back and scrambling away herself. "We didn't mean to hurt you! Are you okay?" 

The two travellers groaned as they dusted themselves off. After they had plucked off all the leaves the rabbits could clearly see that they were both squirels, young squirrels, around the same age as Candy. 

"We're prefectly alright" they replied. "No harm done" they sniffed, looking down their noses at the rabbits. Selina, Candy's younger sister, stuck her tounge out. Everyone knew that squirrels reguarded themselves as being very posh and generally better than most creatures. Well, most of them anyway. Annabel, a squirrel who lived in Sugarplum forest (the rabbit's home) was very nice indeed. Candy elbowed her sister. 

"Prehaps you could give us some directions" the squirrels inquired. "We're looking for a squirrel living here called Annabel. We need to talk to her urgently" 

"Of course! I'll show you the way. She's living with a mouse family..." Candy led them away. The other rabbits stood silent for a moment. 

"That berry is mine!" Selina whooped, and the race commenced. 

CHAPTER 2 A sharp rapping sounded on the front door of 12 Honey Hive Hallow. Molly Oaks wiped her hands throughly on her flowery apron and ran to the front door. Two young squirrels were standing on her doorstep, shifting anxiously. 

"Good morning to you Mrs Oaks" one said, plucking up the courage to speak. 

"Oh, um, good morning! May I help you at all?" Molly responded, sounding a little confused. 

"Of course, where are our manners!" exclaimed the other. "We are looking for as squirrel named Annabel, who we have been told lives here. We have travelled through Gulfment swamp, Mirage desert, past Gloop volcano, through the treacherous Gloom mountains and past the Lake of Reflections in search of her. We finally came here to Sugarplum forest, and to our joy we heard from a group of rabbits that she was here. We absolutly must speak to her!" 

"Well of course you must! Follow me!" Molly trotted inside the house, mumbling to herself about her strange guests. "Annabel!" shouted Molly. "I have some visitors for you!" 

Annabel's furry head appeared from the top of the stairs. She saw the squirrels and gasped. It looked like she was chocking back tears. "No, it can't be! I'm sorry, I can't talk to you right now" she squeaked, pushing past them and running out of the house. 

Diggery had been watching in silence. He slipped out of the house after her. 

CHAPTER 3 Peering around the blackberry bush Diggery saw Annabel, weeping softly. 

"Hey Ann" he said quietly. She raised her head quickly, but looked down again when she saw it was only Diggery. "why did you run out like that?" he asked her. 

"They, they're squirrels from Melody clearing, my old home, you know, ancient home of the squirrels" Annabel started, looking at Diggery. He was nodding encouragingly, so she continued. "They were my old best friends. Karen and Emile. We went everywhere together. But I hated their manner, you know, squirrels are the best and so on. They wouldn't let me socialize with other creatures. One day an evil ferret, Kasper came to Melody clearing and started taking prisoners. Two of his soldiers found Karen, Emile and I hiding. They tided the other two up. I could have saved them. I was hiding, they were calling for me to rescue them, but I stayed still. The soldiers couldn't find me. The carried them away. I let them down. I ran away, that's how you found me, drowning in the Lake of Reflections, right? I can never forgive myself. I'd nearly forgotten, I was trying push it out of my head, but now they're here...." Annabel trailed off. 

Diggery put his arm around her. "Don't worry about it. They seem nice enough, I'm sure they aren't coming for revenge or anything. Let's go and talk to them, eh?" 

Annabel tensed, as if she was going to stay, but slowly she relaxed. "Okay. I'll talk to them. They must have travelled all this way for something important" Annabel got up. * * * * * "I really don't understand what got into her!" Molly tutted. 

"Oh, I think we shocked her a bit, she hasn't seen us for over a year" Karen explained. "Look, here she comes with your son!" 

Diggery and Annabel walked in. Karen jumped up and hugged Annabel. "Oh Ann! It's been such a long time! How did you end up here?" Emile and Karen bombarded her with questions. 

"Aren't you angry with me?" Annabel asked, sounding very confused. "I left you to get caught by Kasper!" 

"Let bygones be bygones, that what squirrels say, isn't it! It's just lovely to see you again!" Emile smiled. "Anyway," he said, turning serious. "The sqirrels defeated Kasper a while after you left. But now he's back, stronger than ever" he turned to Diggery. "We heard about you and King Ryan. We were wondering if... if you'd gather an army and help us defeat him again" 

Annabel cut in, "Of course we will!" 

CHAPTER 4 "Are you sure you'll be alright?" Molly asked anxiously. "I don't know about this!" 

"We'll be fine! We just have to follow Syphony Stream until we reach Melody Clearing. Trust us Mrs Oaks, I think we know what we're doing" Karen said poshly. 

"Of course you do" Molly said hurridly. "Do be careful Dig, and look after Annable for me, won't you!" she hugged both of them and checked their supplies. "I hope I gave you have enough food and water. If you're travelling through the desert..." 

"We'll be fine!" Diggery smiled, taking his mother's paw. "I promise to bring her back in one piece" They said they're last good byes and set off, waving until their arms hurt. Behind them trailed an army of willing creatures, moles, voles, rabbits, otters and even the odd badger. 

After a few hours they sat down for a rest. "I'm so tired!" a young mole groaned. "Maybe we can go inside that house there" he suggested. They all looked around. Sure enough there was a rickety wooden housestanding a few yards in the opposite direction. Everyone got up and trudged to the house. Karen knocked on the door. 

The door swung inwards to reveal a little room with a stove, two beds, a table and various other items, all made of wood. The kindly face of a female otter also appeared. "Can I help you at all?" she asked, smiling. 

That night they sat around the small table, chatting to the beavers. 

"Travelling up the stream eh?" whistled the beaver's husband. "That'll be a long journey by foot. Say!" his face lit up. "I might have just the thing!" he led them around the back of the house to the stream, where there was a large boat moored up. "You could take this if you want. My wife and I only need a small one," he gestured to a smaller boat further down stream. "I was going to use it for firewood, or cut it up and make something with it, but why don't you have it?" 

Later on they sat in the boat, waving goodbye to the two otters. They slowly pulled away, making their way down stream. 

CHAPTER 5 The boat slowly driffted along. They were rowing right past Mirage desert, and the weather was sweltering. What fresh water they had was evaporating. Food was rationed very carefully. After ten days they came in sight of Melody Clearing. Everyone cheered. Karen and Emile jumped for joy, Until they saw the smoke. The trees of the clearing were on fire! They rowed furiously, and jumped out of the boat when at last they arrived. There were frantic squirrel running everywhere, and armoured stoats, weasels foxes and ferrets running around with torches, setting fire to the trees. 

The army quickly hid, knowing that they had no chance at that moment. They hid inside the bushes. From the other side, they heard two triumpant voices. 

"See how they run Poxy, soon they shall do anything I command. I will be their leader!" It was a ferret's voice. Kasper! "Yes sire!" his weasel captain fawned. "We'll, I mean, you'll be supreme ruler of those stuck up squirrels!" 

"Ready?" Diggery whispered. "We'll ambush them!" Suddenly all the creatures rushed out of the bushes, taking Kasper and Poxy by surprise. They quickly tided them up and gagged them. "Come on, Karen, Emile, pull them up into a tree that hasn't been burned. Tell his followers that if they don't stop their boss will get it!" Diggery gave Kasper a swift kick. "Better take some archers and slingers too, just in case they put up a resistance" 

Karen and Emile nodded, rushing around to gather more squirrels, then qrabbing weapons and dragging Poxy and Kasper up a tree. With a bit of help from Annabel, Diggery and the army also climbed the tree. 

"Listen to me!" bellowed Diggery. All activity on the grond stopped. A few angry fighters aimed bows at him, but stopped when they saw that Diggery was surrounded by squirrels with bows and slingshots. "I have here your leader!" he stepped aside to reveal Kasper. "One wrong move and he gets an arrow through his heart, got it!" the creatures on the grond gulped. "Now you'd better do as I say! I want you to go and collect water from the stream, and put out this fire. Isn't that right Kasper?" Diggery ripped off the gag. Kasper tried to bite him, but the archers all stood, aiming at him. 

"Do as the mouse says lads" he scowled. The creatures quickly went to work. Squirrels too, desparate to save their burning houses. When the fire was out the creatures assembled in front of the tree. "Now what mousey?" asked a trembling stoat. "Now you will all leave. If I ever see you in Melody Clearing again I swear I will put an arrow through you all!" 

"Huh. we ain't doing what no mousey says" sneered a burly ferret. He started climbing the tree. Others followed. "We're going to get you mousey!" a well aimed shot from a squirrel sent him trumbling down to his death. All of the others quickly scurried down. "Is it agreed?" Digger said pointedly. 

"Agreed!" they cried. "Have mercy upon us and our leader!" 

Diggery sneered and kicked Kasper and Poxy off the edge. They were caught by they followers and quickly untied. With one last look at the mouse they took off into the dusk. 

CHAPTER 6 The woodlanders cheered as their small army returned. They jumped out of the boat and ran to their famlies. Diggery and Annabel walked over to Molly. 

"Oh! You're safe! How did it all go? I'm so glad that you decided to stay here instead of back with the other squirrels Annabel!" she hugged them both and asked them a million questions. 

Later that night Diggery and Annabel showed Molly the medals they had been given by the squirrel high council. "I'm so proud!" Molly exclaimed. "But Dig, please, don't go off like that again!" Diggery and Annabel laughed. 

And to this day, although squirrel can be a bit snobby, they all have immence respect for mice. 


End file.
